Publishers are doing their virtual E3 announcements, such as Ubisoft Forward and ID@Xbox’s Indie Showcase. There’s other wild news going on, and some not even in the official news items below.
Said news items include:
Let us know what you think.
Halloween is a scary time of year, no less when you’re posting a $310 million net loss. EA CEO John Riccitiello sees “weakness” at retail in October and we’re betting this isn’t the end of the road of sorrow for game publishers around the globe.
Electronic Arts isn’t unfamiliar with bad times and we’re sure to see them make constant adjustments to their headcount, game releases and press as the economy goes into a bit of a slump. Although the game industry won’t see as big a hit as the financial market, everyone is going to watch their spending during slower economic times.
That slowness is a red flag for the mega-publisher, which says it’s “proactively making cost adjustments now.” One of those adjustments is the axing of some 600 EA employees across the globe. (Kotaku)
Last year Electronic Arts lost a “small” $195 million during the same time, not exactly a gold star on the financial records but it sure looks better than this loss. A few games may crumble under the economic pressures, Tiberium for example, but let us not forget the good times! EA posted some nice figures for Spore, Madden NFL 09, Warhammer: Age of Reckoning and Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.
So, they mixed a few sequels with a few new franchise hits and gave gamers some pretty hot titles for the year. Of course, hot titles in our hand do not always translate to positive revenue in theirs.
Paul’s back for an episode, as the crew still has E3 on the mind, and still discuss stuff from the show. In fact, the conversation remains so much on E3, half of the scheduled news items don’t get done. Instead, it’s just a reunion of sorts as the rambling goes on and on.
The news that does get discussed includes:
Let us know what you think.
The guys talk about Skate Story is finally releasing in December, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting a New Game+ mode and some new duds in a free update, Might and Magic: Olden Era is delayed to 2026, a Minecraft Movie sequel is coming in July 23, 2027, and Cities: Skylines 2‘s big Bridges and Ports expansion is finally almost here.
News includes:
Let us know what you think.
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